Our Kitchen Update: A Progress Report

Just when we thought we were so close to being done, there still seems to be a billion things on our to-do list. Sure, we’ve got the big things out of the way like the demo, cabinetry, hardwoods, and paint, but it’s all those little things that seem to add up.

A few of the latest updates I’ve given on our #RyanPlaceReno are things like our new floors from Shaw Flooring, our kitchen cabinets, my new appliances from Nebraska Furniture Mart and Frigidaire and some inspiration for our new pool. At this point, we still don’t have countertops — not because I don’t know what I want, but because of many other problems. You can see a few (very important) things I learned about that in this post here. Fast forward a few weeks and we’re finally closing it all in. Countertops are getting installed (hopefully) this week and our kitchen is about to cross the finish line… well, almost.

Here’s the latest…

Our Countertops

We’ve spent more than two months without countertops, and let me tell you, it’s been rough. Really rough. It kinda feels like we’re camping. Or maybe “glamping.” Either way, it’s not ideal. The reason for our lack of countertop is actually my fault. I built our island too big and I basically refused to install anything that would create a seam.

Long story short, over the last few months, I’ve learned WAY too much about countertops. It wasn’t a specialty I was looking to become an expert in, but I sure do feel like I know all there is to know about countertops after my way-too-big-of-an-island mishap. If you want to get schooled on countertops (and learn from my mistakes), you can read about some of the things I learned in my latest post here. I’m also sharing some marble look-a-likes in that post too!

Here is the countertop we ended up choosing for our island. I’m SO excited about it!! It’s a hard Quartzite (this particular slab is called “Aria“), which is a natural stone that’s as hard as granite, but looks like marble. I’m seriously so obsessed and can hardly wait until it’s installed.

Our Paint

Our water-based cabinetry paint is holding up as expected. They still look just as good as the day they were sprayed and still no chips or dents in the paint. Nothing is peeling and all is well. Thank goodness. The last thing I need is more things to fix!

Our Cabinetry

It hasn’t taken us long to get used to our new cabinets. They’re AMAZING. We’re especially loving our pantry wall – 12 feet in width and floor-to-ceiling storage. Need I say more? I’ll be posting a full cabinetry post soon, so stay tuned!

Our Appliances

We spent about a week (or two – I can’t remember, it’s all a blur) in our house before we had appliances. Lots of eating out — not ideal and quite expensive. It made us very quickly realize how much we desperately needed appliances in our life.

Before I developed an opinion on our appliances, I wanted to live with them for a few months so I could provide some valuable feedback for you guys. Here are a few things that have stood out to me so far:

The Range

One of my favorite things about our Frigidaire Professional range is that it has racks that roll out easily (technically speaking, PowerGlide Racks). So instead of reaching into the oven (risking burning your entire arm off) you can use one finger to activate the PowerGlide rack, super easy! It’s amazing.

We’re also loving the griddle on the range-top. This was my husband’s #1 request when shopping for a range. He loves cooking on a griddle, so the fact this range has a two-in-one burner/griddle is pretty awesome! What’s nice about it is that it gives me the flexibility to cook pancakes on the griddle and also simmer utilizing the burners with the griddle removed.

The Dishwasher

When we lived in our loft, I can still remember the first time we ran our dishwasher. We were watching TV on the other side of the apartment and heard this over-bearing rumbling sound. We couldn’t for the life of us figure out what it was! We finally realized the loud noise was coming from our dishwasher. It was incredibly annoying. The first thing we noticed about our Frigidaire Professional dishwasher was how quiet it was. In fact, the first time we ran it, we weren’t even sure if it was on! Now that’s a dishwasher I can get used to.

We also loved how easy it’s been to clean Hudson’s baby bottles!! Sorry for the “mom” side note here, but this dishwasher comes with bottle jets that are specifically for baby bottles!! WHAT. For a mom and dad who have an 8-month-old and another baby on the way, this has been HUGE for us. In fact, this dishwasher is what Nebraska Furniture Mart suggests to parents with babies and toddlers who are constantly washing baby bottles and sippy cups. Gone are the days where I’m hand-washing everything. Thank. Goodness.

From an aestetic perspective, I love how there are no buttons on the front door. The control panel is on the top and is not visible when the door is closed. When the cycle is finished, there’s a blue light that shines on the floor. It’s so cool! The handle is also super clean and simple and looks very “designer-esque”. Who knew a dishwasher could look so sleek??

The Refrigerator

The first thing we noticed about our Frigidaire Professional french door refrigerator was the dual ice feature. It’s a counter-depth refrigerator, which is flush with your cabinetry to give you a built-in look however, the down-side is in a lot of brands they don’t seem to produce a lot of ice. But this Frigidaire Professional refrigerator not only has an ice maker in the door, but it also has one in the freezer drawer, making it perfect for entertaining. We plan on entertaining a lot, so having this second ice maker is a really big deal for us.

The second thing I noticed right off the bat was the smudge-proof stainless steel. I literally haven’t had to clean any smudge marks since the installation of our fridge back in January. I already appreciate this feature and it will become invaluable as I have two little ones walking running around our home.

The Wine Cooler

Did you know this Frigidaire wine cooler can be used for more than just wine?! It’s marketed for wine only, but the design and temperature ranges (41-64 degrees) lend itself to allow for many types of beer to be stored in there as well. Although I can’t partake in either right now since I’m pregnant, my husband has been testing the temperature and approves!

For all you wine and beer folks out there, I made you a chart showing some suggested storing temperatures for different types of alcoholic beverages:

Since we’re huge beer nerds, we actually store all of our IPAs and Wheat Beers (which can both be stored at 55 degrees) in our wine cooler. When I’m able to drink again (after we have baby #2 this July) I’ll probably end up storing our wine in our normal refrigerator since my hubby loves having a dedicated “beer cooler” so much. We shall see!

Our Floors

As expected, our new wood floors from Shaw Flooring (we installed World Traveler in Trail) have been holding up beautifully as well. Even though we have hardwoods in the kitchen, which most people think is a huge no-no, we haven’t had any issues at all. And even with all of the construction STILL going on in the house, the floors never really seem to appear dirty. We’ve had so many contractors coming in and out of our house and STILL no scratches or dents. We’ve been pretty rough on these poor floors and they seem to keep up with no issues. To see some of our flooring updates, you can check out my recent post here.

So that’s it folks! Our kitchen still isn’t done, but we’re getting closer each month. After we get our countertops installed, we will still need to install some lighting and start thinking about our backsplash, but overall, I’m very happy with our progress. Sure, it’s taking some time for it to all come together, but with both of us working full time with an 8 month old and me being pregnant, I’m thinking we’re doing pretty good for everything we’ve got on our plate.

About The Blissful Bee

Thank you for stopping by The Blissful Bee! I'm Amy and I'm the writer and designer behind the blog. I have a passion for interior design, fashion and simply living a stylish life. I hope you enjoy your "stay"!
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